Protector:A Scifi Alien Romance(40)

They turned to leave, heading back into the sewer tunnels.

Madeline barely noted the stench this time, her thoughts on Blaine, the women, and even that poor alien. What had they done to him to make him like that?

They reached the lake and headed out over the narrow rock path. She couldn’t wait to get out of here and wash off the stink, and then plan the rescue mission. The others moved ahead and Madeline hurried to catch up.

She heard a faint splash and felt something slide along her ankle.

What the hell? She turned to look, and didn’t see anything except a faint ripple in the water. She glanced down at her foot and saw a trail of sludge on the rock path behind her.

Shaking her head, she turned to follow the others. She spotted Lore’s broad back ahead. She took another step, and this time, something wrapped around her ankle with a wet slap.

She looked up, and saw Lore turn back, a frown on his face. Their gazes locked.

Madeline didn’t have time to say anything or scream. With a violent jerk, she was yanked into the water.





Chapter Thirteen




Unfamiliar emotions slammed into Lore.

As he watched Madeline disappear below the dark water, he realized the main one was fear. He shouted for the others, sprinting back along the pathway.

He’d remembered the whispered rumors of mutated creatures that lived in the sewers. God, even Zhim had warned them.

“Madeline!” Without any conscious thought, Lore went to dive in after her.

Strong hands gripped his arms on either side of him. Galen and Nero flanked him, stopping him from following her.

“Let me go!”

“Wait,” Galen demanded. “You won’t do her any good if you kill yourself.”

The sound of splashing water made all their heads jerk up. Lore’s chest went hard. In the middle of the lake, giant tentacles rose out of the water, waving around the air in a frenzy.

One lifted, wrapped around a screaming Madeline. She was thumping her fists against the creature’s dark, rubbery skin.

It dunked her down into the water, then lifted her up again. Then it dropped lower again, and Madeline disappeared beneath the dark water.

Lore pulled his sword, and beside him he heard his friends doing the same.

All of them watched and waited, and a dizzying whirl of thoughts tumbled through Lore’s head. He had to find a way to get Madeline out of there.

“Harper, Thorin, and I will attack it from over there.” Raiden pointed to the edge of the lake closest to the creature. He ran, Harper and Thorin following close behind.

Lore glanced at Kace and Saff. “You two take the other direction. If it gets within reach, slash it.” Hopefully, that would get it to drop her.

The pair nodded and took off at a run. That left Lore with Galen and Nero. They watched as the creature broke the surface of the water again, and this time he saw its yawning mouth in the center of its body. A horrible, round hole ringed with sharp teeth.

“We need to distract it,” Lore snapped. “Keep its attention off Madeline until we can get her out of there.”

Galen nodded, gesturing for Nero to follow him.

Lore’s fighting partner caught his gaze. “We’ll get her out.”

Lore nodded, pulling in a shuddering breath. Then he spotted some old metal-and-wood scaffolding attached to the rocky wall beside the lake. It was rusted and rotten, maybe some sort of long-abandoned maintenance framework. A broken chain dangled off it.

As he ran toward it, he heard his friends shouting at the creature. Heard metal striking flesh.

Without thinking, Lore leaped out toward the chain. He didn’t have time to test it, and he prayed it would hold his weight.

He grabbed the metal, and used his momentum to swing out over the water. Below, he saw the creature splashing. He swung closer to Madeline and caught a glimpse of her terrified face.

Lore slashed with his sword, the blade biting deep into the tentacle. Blood squirted, and the creature let out a high-pitched screech. It thrashed in the water, pulling Madeline away.

The chain swung back. Come on. Lore used his weight to swing back as fast as he could. On the edge of the lake, he spotted Kace and Saff working together, hacking at another tentacle that had landed on the walkway. The tentacle detached, and this time the creature’s screams turned to shrieks, making Lore wince.

As he neared the creature again, he saw the tentacle holding Madeline rise up high. Then he saw it tighten around her. She screamed, but then her cry was cut off as the tentacle continued squeezing her.

Drak. It was going to kill her.

Heart pounding, Lore pulled back and then pushed off to swing out again. At the peak of his swing, he let go and dropped down on the creature’s head. With a roar, he drove his sword into its rubbery skin.

The water creature thrashed, but Lore spread his arms, fighting to keep his balance. He cut at another tentacle, blood splattering.